This daily expert request is sent exclusively to media teams at member universities. If you would like to add colleagues to this distribution list, please get in touch.

26 May 2017

Politics + Society: In the coming weeks and months we’re keen to step up our coverage of Israeli politics, both foreign and domestic. As ever, we’re very keen to find academics working in this area who’ve never written for us before.

25 May 2017

Politics + Society: Was the New York Times justified in publishing pictures of the remains of components of the Manchester bomb and fragments of the rucksack used to carry it? Journalists are used to dealing with leaks of sensitive information, but to what extent are they under an obligation to use more discretion before publishing them? What are the arguments that the the paper’s editor and senior team should have been considering before making the decision to publish?

Politics + Society: We’re looking for an intelligence or counterterrorism expert who can comment on the UK’s decision to stop sharing intelligence on the Manchester attack with the US because of leaks to the media. We’re especially interested in the implications for the “five eyes” intelligence-sharing relationship more broadly.

Politics + Society: Tomorrow, Human Rights Watch is releasing a report on the anti-gay purges in Chechnya. We’re looking for an expert on global LGBT human rights (especially in the post-Soviet region) to respond to the report, of which an embargoed copy is available.

Environment + Energy: The global seed vault on the island of Spitzbergen in Svalbard flooded last week when the permafrost around it started melting, and although no seeds were destroyed, clearly the vault is no longer the impregnable stronghold it was once considered. Given that it was supposed to function without human help, what effect will this have on its future?

23 May 2017

Politics + Society: Looking for an expert who can take a look at the Evening Standard’s coverage of Conservative policy since George Osborne became editor, particularly in light of the front page story on the party’s U-turn over social care.

Business + Economy: We are looking for an expert who has studied the effects of terrorism on financial markets. What effect do terrorist attacks have, and do different types of attacks affect markets differently?

18 May 2017

Arts + Culture: Damien Hirst is facing accusations of plagarism once again for works in his new exhibition, Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable. Artist DeCaires Taylor says his underwater sculptures came first. Others have said the Ife artists originally responsible for the source material of several sculptures in the exhibition should have been credited. It’s not the first time (or second or third) that Hirst has been accused of plagarism. We’d like an expert to look at these works and others and explore the difference between plagarism and influence.

Politics + Society: We’re looking for an expert on the US constitution to write an explainer laying out the 25th Amendment, which deals with succession to the presidency – including how to remove a president deemed unfit for office. Other American politics experts who are following the chaos in the Trump White House should also get in touch with ideas.

17 May 2017

Arts + Culture: A forthcoming Japanese animated film called In This Corner of the World tells the story of a young girl in wartime Hiroshima. The production included recreating scenes from old photos, documents and recollections of Hiroshima before the atomic bomb. Looking for an expert who can write about the art of historical storytelling through animation.

8 May 2017

Business + Economy: We are looking for fresh perspectives on the UK financial services industry. How important is it to the economy? How at risk is the UK of losing elements of this industry to other parts of the EU post-Brexit?

Politics + Society [Repeat]: Tensions between North Korea and the US are still ramping up. We’d like to find as many East Asian politics and security experts as possible for potential future commissions, and especially those focusing on North Korea itself. This is a callout for people who haven’t written before – please do flag them with us before sounding them out on commissions.